Authentic Moussaka (Musaka) recipe is a very popular dish in the Mediterranean. It is made with 3 layers of roasted eggplants, meat sauce and bechamel sauce.
Roasting the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into slices and arrange them on a baking sheet then spray them with oil, both sides. Bake the eggplants at 210C for about 20-30 minutes or until become soft.
4 eggplants, oil spray
Making the meat sauce: In a pot or pan, add minced onion, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, black pepper, bay leaf, and tomato sauce. Stir then cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. (Don't forget to stir occasionally.)
500 g minced beef, 1 onion, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 pods cardamom, 1 bay leaf, ¾ cup tomato sauce
Making the bechamel sauce: In a saucepan, add oil and butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, and the milk slowly (pour it in a tiny stream) while stirring vigorously. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens then turn off the heat.
3 cups milk, 3 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup + 1 tablespoon plain flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Assembling everything: Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a 20x20 cm baking dish.
Top the eggplant with all the meat sauce, then cover the sauce with the rest of the eggplant slices.
Finally, spread the bechamel sauce on the top.
Bake at 190C / 374F for 30 minutes or until the top has a lovely golden colour.
Remove from the oven and let it cool down for ten minutes then cut and serve.
Notes
jalapeño pepper (chopped) to the meat sauce while cooking.
If you are cheese lover, you can sprinkle some parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese on top of the bechamel sauce for extra flavour.
Traditionally, this recipe calls for frying the eggplant (aubergine) slices, not roasting them. However, I tried both ways, and I found that roasting the eggplant is just as delicious as frying while also being much healthier.
I like to the roast eggplant slices a day or two ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.
Feel free to use minced lamb or beef in making the meat sauce.
If you want to make large quantities of Moussaka, just double the ingredients and make more layers.
To Store: I cover it with foil sheet and keep in the fridge; it lasts for 5 days in the fridge.Freeze It: Cut it and put in an airtight container, and keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.